Author: stmelangell_l5nfea

August is not just the eighth month of the year but also the time when many families take their holidays due to the closure of schools, colleges and universities. However, it was originally the sixth month of the year – January and February weren’t named in the Roman calendar as they were considered to be inactive or dead months. This changed when, in 46 BC, Julius Caesar developed the Julian calendar, named after himself as was the month of July. August is actually named after Augustus Caesar, the first Roman Emperor, whose name comes from the Latin word augustus meaning venerable or noble. That’s reflected in Mis Awst, the Welsh name for that month. 

For similar reasons, September was originally the seventh month but then became the ninth month and Pope Gregory XIII made further changes in 1582 when the Gregorian calendar began. Since then, different ways have developed of calculating time more accurately and the sensational images from the James Webb Space Telescope have been able to reflect images as far back in time as 13.5 billion years ago. How time flies! 

It won’t be long before September is upon us, heralding the end of summer and the beginning of autumn as well as the start of the new academic year and the reaping of the harvest, reflected in its Welsh name Mis Medi. Time is so precious and there is a link, often forgotten, between some holy days when a day off was given which became a day of rest or celebration – a holiday. With chaos at the airports and strikes on the railways, having a break over the summer may not be straightforward but being mindful of the significance of the calendar and time itself is important – may the weeks ahead be blessed while time marches on!

Christine, Guardian. 

When possible, Morning Prayer is said daily at 9am, Pilgrim Prayers at noon and Evening Prayer at 5pm, in addition to the following:

Services of reflection will be held at 3pm on Sundays 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th of August as well as on Sundays 4th, 11th (Education Sunday), 18th and 25th September.

Holy Eucharist will be held at noon on Thursdays 4th, 11th (Clare), 18th and 25th of August as well as 1st, 8th, 15th,22nd and 29th (Michael and All Angels) of September.

A Julian Group will take place at 10.30am in the Centre on Wednesdays 17th August and  21st September.

Madonna, Monacella, Melangell and Me – a day of reflection about the Saint and her life will be held at the Centre from 10.30- 3.30 on Wednesday 24th August.

For further details, please get in touch via admin@stmelangell.org or the Centre on 01691 860408.

Diolch – thank you!

Reflection on the Lord’s Prayer

“Give us each day our daily bread.” Jesus in Luke 11:1-13, NRSV.

“Today there is a beacon on the Black Sea, a beacon of hope.” General Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary, regarding the negotiated release of Ukrainian grain.

There are two versions of the Lord’s Prayer in the Bible, this in Luke and a longer form in Matthew 6:9-13. They differ and neither has the doxology, ‘For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory for ever and ever, Amen.’ – this was added later. In Luke’s version, the gospel for today, Jesus has been praying by himself and his disciples clearly see something in his prayer that is vital to him and that they want for themselves so one of them asks, ‘Lord, teach us how to pray.’

Jesus gives no preamble about preparation, attitude or posture but teaches them a prayer that has become familiar to Christians everywhere. God is called not just Father but the intimate term Abba – this is not a formal statement of belief in God but an actual relationship with him. His holy name is to be hallowed, requiring a human response for it to be honoured in this way, and his kingdom come in the sense of being both longed for and having begun. Yet this is no remote deity: God is asked to provide food for the day just as the Israelites depended on their daily needs being supplied in the wilderness as manna could not be stored without going mouldy. God is also asked to forgive our wrongdoing, with the obligation that those praying this prayer must forgive others too. Finally, protection is asked from any temptation or trial that might be too much to bear and Jesus goes then tells the disciples a story about persistence.

In those days, hospitality obliged a host to provide for a guest whenever they arrived and regardless of the hour even if, in avoiding the heat of the day, a traveller might arrive very late and perhaps without warning. Neighbours could be asked even after they’d gone to bed to help to provide bread should an unexpected guest arrive and, in banging on the door and disrupting the whole household, eventually the food would be given to stop the disturbance. Jesus likens this to persistence in prayer – not because we are a nuisance to God but because prayer requires commitment and trust that its blessings will eventually be forthcoming although this will happen in God’s timing – not necessarily as anticipated by those praying to him. “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you,” says Jesus – this is in the future as well as the present. 

At the present moment, there may be hope that the vast amounts of Ukrainian wheat that couldn’t be exported because of the ongoing war with Russia may now be able to be released thanks to the intervention of the UN and lengthy negotiations for two months to overcome the impasse. The Black Sea has been mined and the plans are not without risk but the price of wheat has already fallen at the news that many dependent, hungry people may now be able to be fed. If we want there to be daily bread, we have to play our part, too, in bringing this about – will the fragile hope be fulfilled? 

Luke’s briefer version of the Lord’s Prayer teaches its users to bring to God practical requests for bread, forgiveness and protection from temptation whilst proclaiming that this is done in his name and kingdom. Jesus tells his disciples, then and now, to ask, seek and knock at the door which will be opened – no matter how late it is. As Malcolm Guite puts it in the first of his Seven Sonnets on the Lord’s Prayer: 

‘And so I come and ask you how to pray, Seeking a distant supplicant’s petition, Only to find you give your words away, As though I stood with you in your position, As though your Father were my Father too, As though I found his ‘welcome home’ in you.’ 

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Guardian.

Adlewyrchiad Ddydd Sul.

Adlewyrchiad ar Weddi’r Arglwydd.

“Rho i ni heddiw ein bara beunyddiol”
Yr Iesu yn Luwc 11:1-13, NRSV.

“Heddiw mae yna oleufa ar y Mor Du, goleufa gobaith”.
Y Cadfridog Antonio Guterres, Ysgrifennydd i’r UN, ynglyn a’r penderfyniad i ryddhau grawn o’r Iwcrain.

Mae yna ddau gyfansoddiad o Weddi’r Arglwydd yn Y Beibl, yr hwn yn Luwc a ffurf hirach yn Matthew 6:9-13. Maen’t yn wahanol y tydi ‘run yn cynnwys y docsoleg “Canys Ti yw’r Deyrnas, y Nerth a’r Gogoniant, byth bythoedd Amen.” – atodwyd hyn nes ymlaen.

Yng nghyfansoddiad Luwc, yr efengyl am heddiw, mae’r Iesu wedi bod yn gweddio ar ei ben Ei hun ac mae’r disgyblion yn gweld rhywbeth yn Ei weddi sy’n Ei fywiogi ac y maen’t eisiau iddyn nhw eu hunain, felly maen’t yn gofyn “Arglwydd, dysga i ni sut i weddio.”
Tydi’r Iesu ddim yn son am baratoad, agwedd nac osgo ond mae’n dysgu iddynt weddi sydd wedi dod yn gyfarwydd i Gristnogion ym mhob man.
Tydi Duw nid yn unig yn cael ei gyfarch fel Tad ond yn y ffurf fwy personol – Abba – nid datganiad ffurfiol o gred yn Nuw yw hyn, ond perthynas gydag Ef.
Mae Ei enw sanctaidd i’w sancteiddio, sy’n golygu ymateb gan y ddynolryw i’w barchu yn y modd yma, a’i deyrnas i ddod, yn yr ystyr awydd amdano a hefyd fod wedi dechrau eisioes.
Ond nid duw o bellter yw hwn, on Duw sy’n darparu bara beunyddiol yn yr un modd ag yr oedd yr Iddewon angen bwyd yn yr anialwch, canus nad oedd yn bosib cadw manna rhag iddo ddirywio. Gofynnir i Dduw faddau am ein dyledion ac i ninnau hefyd ddangos maddeuant at y rhai sydd wedi ein pechu.
Yn olaf gofynnwyd am amddiffyn rhag profedigaeth neu prawf a fydde’n ormod i ni a wedyn mae’r Iesu yn mynd ati i ddysgu am ddyfalbarhad.
Yn y dyddie hyny roedd disgwyl cynnig llety a chroeso i ymwelwyr hyd yn oed taent yn cyrraedd yn yr hwyr, drwy geisio osgoi gwres y dydd, ac yn ddirybudd. Gofynnir i gymdogion godi i baratoi bara ar gyfer yr ymwelwyr ac hyn weithiau yn golygu taro drws nes iddynt ymateb.
Mae’r Iesu yn cymharu hyn i ddyfalbarad wrth weddio, nid ein bod yn boendod i Dduw, ond mae gweddio yn gofyn cymhelliant ac ymddiried fod ei fendithion yn mynd i arddangos, ond yn amser Duw nid yn angenrheidiol yn amser Dyn.
“Gofyn a chei ateb, chwilia a mi wnei ddarganfod, cura’r drws a mi wneith agor” meddai’r Iesu – mae hyn yn y dyfodol yn ogystal a’r presennol.
Ar hyn o bryd medrwn obeithio, drwy ddylanwad y Cenhedloedd Unedig fod storfa enfawr o wenith yn yr Iwcrain yn gallu cael ei ryddhau ar ol deufis o drafodaethau.
Mae ffrwydriadau tanfor wedi eu gosod o dan donau’r Mor Du a thydi’r cynlluniau nid heb eu peryglon ond gobeithiwn, gyda pris gwenith wedi darostwng yn barod, y ceiff y rhai sy’n llwgu cael eu bwydo.
Os ydym angen bara beunyddiol fy’n rhaid i ninnau hefyd gyfrannu -a fydd y gobaith bregus yn cael ei gyflawni?
Mae fersiwn byrrach Luwc o Weddi’r Arglwydd yn dysgu i’w ddefnyddwyr ofyn am fara, maddeuant ac amddiffyn rhag profedigaeth, tra’n datgan fod hyn yn digwydd yn Ei Enw ac yn Ei Deyrnas.
Mae’r Iesu yn dysgu Ei ddisgyblion, rwan ac adeg hynny, i ymofyn, chwilio a churo’r drws nes iddo agor- pa bynnag hwyr yr awr.
Fel a ddywedodd Malcolm Guite yn ei soned gyntaf ar weddi’r Arglwydd;

“And so I come and ask you how to pray, Seeking a distant supplicant’s petition, Only to find you give your words away, As though I stood with you in your position, As though your Father were my Father too, As though I found his ‘welcome home’ in you.”

Gyda fyng ngweddion, pob bendith.
Christine, Gwarcheidwad.

Reflection: brothers and sisters

“…You are worried and distracted by many things.” 

Jesus, in today’s Gospel Luke 10:38-42, NRSV.

“Whatever the cost, I need to tell my real story.” Hussein Abdi Kohin, aka Sir Mo Farah.

Much has been made recently of the upbringing of Sir Mo Farah, the most successful British track athlete in modern Olympic Games history. It turns out that, due to being trafficked and brought to the UK when he was nine, he isn’t actually Mo but Hussein Abdi Kahin. Working as a servant from so young an age when he had to look after other people’s children and was separated from his real family, running helped him to find his freedom and eventually his true identity as he ran to escape what was happening to him. For many years, Hussein lied for fear of the consequences but, now that he’s divulged what happened to him as a child, telling the truth has lead to the Home Office stating that he won’t be deported as he couldn’t legally have given his consent at the time. An enquiry has been launched and it seems that at least 10,000 and possibly as many as 100,000 people are caught up in domestic servitude every year in the UK – Hussein’s is just one story of many.

His, however, has a happier ending than most and it seems that Hussein will keep his identity as Sir Mo because so many people know him with that name. It was taken from Mohamed Farah, another boy at the time whose place was taken by those who trafficked Hussein instead and forced a false identity on him. The documentary showed him talking to Mohamed on the phone and he, generously, called Hussein his brother instead of having a dispute. What might have happened to him had he come to the UK instead and what would have happened to Hussein had he not?

The answers to that will never be known but the Bible has the story of two actual brothers whose identity was swapped. Esau was the first born but he exchanged his birthright with his younger twin, Jacob, for a bowl of stew when he was famished after hunting. Later, Jacob used the skins of goats to make himself hairy like his brother and, with his father’s poor eyesight and his brother’s clothes, tricked his father so that he received the birthright blessing and privileges instead.

Today’s Gospel involves two sisters, one of whom complains about the other when Jesus comes to visit. Martha asks him to tell Mary to come and give her a hand with the many domestic tasks that she has to do, probably the preparation of a meal. Jesus doesn’t criticise Martha for her priority but replies that Mary has made a better choice by making time to listen to him while he is there – she is sitting at his feet, as would a student listening to a rabbi. By contrast, he tells Martha that she is distracted by becoming so anxious about all that needs doing – she is actually being inhospitable by complaining to their guest about her sister and also asking him to intervene. “Lord, do you not care?” Martha asks, even accusing Jesus himself!

Luke doesn’t say what happens next but the approaches of both sisters are important. Good hospitality involves welcoming guests and paying them attention like Mary but would be diminished without food and drink to offer, which is probably why Martha is distracted. Both listening and doing, receiving God and serving others, are important and this is a homely story of domestic tensions and relationships that many will identify with today. With the rising cost of living, the war in Ukraine, the crisis in the NHS and the increase in Coronavirus, there is much now which will also create distraction and worry. Then, Martha had much to do but forgot that it was Jesus she was doing it for. Mary also probably caused some of her sister’s anxiety by sitting at his feet, a role taken by men in those days, and perhaps a response which surprised Martha who might have been counting on her help. Each of them had choices to make about the daily use of time and their response to Jesus when he arrived. Hussein Abdi Kahin, however, had no choice about the domestic circumstances in which he was caught up but has now found a freedom in which he chooses still to be identified as Mo Farar because that name has become part of his story and identity. 

Esau and Jacob, Martha and Mary, Mo and Hussein – perhaps their stories, identities and responses are similar to some of ours, too?

With my prayers; pob bendith,
Christine, Guardian.

Adlewyrchiadau Gwarcheidwad Eglwys Pennant Melangell.

Adlewyrchiad Ddydd Sul.

Adlewyrchiad; Brodyr a Chwiorydd.

“Rydych yn bryderus a’ch sylw yn cael ei ddwyn gan sawl peth”.

Yr Iesu, yn Efengyl heddiw Luwc 10:38-42, NRSV.

“Beth bynnag y gost, rwyf angen mynegi fy hanes cywir.” Hussein Abdi Kohin, aka Syr Mo Farah.

Mae llawer o son yn ddiweddar am fagwriaeth Syr Mo Farah, yr athletwr trac Prydeinig fwyaf llwyddiannus yn hanes y Mabolgampau Olympaidd diweddar.

Y gwir yw, ar ol cael ei gipio a’i ddwyn i’r Deyrnas Unedig pan yn naw oed, ei enw cywir yw Hussein Abdi Kahin.
Gweithio fel gwas, mor ifanc, ac yn gorfod gofalu am blant pobol eraill, tra’n ddiarth i’w deulu ei hun, rhedeg oedd ei fodd o gael rhyddhad a darganfod hunaniaeth cywir tra y rhedodd, i ddianc rhag yr hyn oedd yn digwydd iddo.
Am rhai blynyddoedd dywedodd Hussein glwyddau rhag ofn y canlyniadau ond rwan, ar ol iddo ddatgelu yr hyn a ddigwyddodd iddo tra’n blentyn, mae’r Swyddfa Gatre wedi cyhoeddi na fydde’n cael ei erlyn oherwydd plentyn yr oedd pan ddaeth i’r wlad yn anghyfreithlon.
Mae ymholiad wedi cychwyn a mae’n debyg fod rhwng 10,000 a 100,000 o bobol yn cael eu trin fel caethweision yn y Deyrnas Unedig. Un stori o lawer yw stori Hussein.
Mae diwedd y gan yma yn fwy boddhaol na’r rhan fwyaf ac mae’n debyg fydd Syr Mo yn cael cadw ei enw adnabyddus.
Dwynwyd yr enw oddiwrth fachgen arall a cafodd Hussein ei herwgipio gydag enw newydd, anghywir. Mae llunddogfen yn dangos y gwir Mohamed yn siarad ar y ffon gyda “Syr Mo” ac yn ei alw’n frawd yn hytrach na ffraeo. Be fyddai wedi digwydd iddo petai ef, yn lle Syr Mo, wedi dod i’r Deyrnas Unedig, a be fydde wedi digwydd i Hussein petai e ddim wedi dod?
Bydd byth ateb i’r cwestiynnau hyn ond mae gan y Beibl ystori am ddau frawd go iawn yn cael eu cyfnewid.
Esau oedd yr hynaf ond mi newidiodd ei hawliau cyntaf-anedig gyda’i efaill Jacob am fowlen o stiw tra’n llewygu ar ol bod allan yn hela.
Nes ymlaen, defnyddiodd Jacob groenau geifr er mwyn twyllo ei dad, oedd bron yn ddall, i feddwl mae ei frawd blewog,Esau, yr oedd, a felly cafodd freintiau a hawliau y cyntaf-anedig.
Mae Efengyl heddiw yn ymwneud a dwy chwaer, yr un yn cwyno am y llall tra fod yr Iesu yn mynychu. Mae Martha yn gofyn i’r Iesu orfodi Fair i helpu gyda negeseuon o gwmpas y ty, paratoi pryd mae’n debyg. Ateb yr Iesu yw fod Mair wedi gwneud penderfyniad doeth drwy dewis i wrando arno tra fod yno – mae hi’n eistedd wrth ei draed, fel fydde disgybl yn gwrando ar rabbi. Mae O’n cynghori Martha ei bod wedi colli ei sylw drwy bryderu am yr holl bethau sydd angen eu gwneud a’i bod yn anghroesawys drwy ofyn i’r Iesu i ymyrryd yn y sefyllfa. “Arglwydd, does dim bwys gennat Ti?” gofynna Martha, hyd yn oed yn cyhuddo’r Iesu ei Hun!

Tydi Leuc ddim yn crybwyll be a ddigwyddodd wedyn, ond mae agwedd y ddwy chwaer yn bwysig. Mae lletygarwch da yn cynnwys croeso i’r ymwelwr a rhoi sylw addas iddo fel a wnaeth Fair. Ar y llaw arall tydi’r croeso ddim yn gyflawn heb paratoi pryd iddo, a dyma oedd safbwynt Martha.
Mae gwrando a gwneud, ill dau, yn bwysig – derbyn Duw, a gwasanaethu i’r werin. Mae hon yn stori cartrefol am densiynnau mewn teulu a fydd sawl un yn medru unieuthu gyda, heddiw.
Gyda costau byw yn cynyddu, rhyfel yn yr Iwcrain, argyfwng yn yr NHS, a coronafeirws, mae sawl rheswm i rhywyn or-bryderu a cholli gafael ar ei sylw.
Roedd Martha yn bryderus am y gwaith oedd angen gwneud, ond anghofiodd mae ar gyfer yr Iesu roedd yn ei wneud. Hefyd mae’n debyg fod hi wedi synnu gan ymateb Mair, yn eistedd wrth draed yr Iesu – rol roedd fel arfer yn cael ei gymryd gan ddyn. Roedd gan y ddwy ddewis i wneud ynglyn a’u ymateb i bresenoldeb yr Iesu.
Doedd gan Hussein, fel arall, ddim dewis ynglyn a’r sefyllfa cartrefol a oedd yn rhan ohono, ond mae wedi llwyddiannu yn ei faes a wedi dewis cadw yr enw Mo Farar sydd rwan yn rhan sylfaenol o’i hanes a’i hunaniaeth.

Esau a Jacob, Martha a Mair, Hussein a Mo – efallai fod eu straeon, uniaethau ac ymatebion yn debyg i rhai ninnau hefyd?

Gyda fyng ngweddion; pob bendith.
Christine, Gwarcheidwad.

Reflection for Sea Sunday

July sees the annual celebration of Sea Sunday and it may seem strange that we’ll be marking this at St Melangell’s when we’re inland. However, recent difficulties with the supply chain have highlighted the importance of international trade and its availability or otherwise – two container ships with bunting and Platinum Jubilee memorabilia amongst their cargoes weren’t able to dock until 5th June, after the official celebrations had ended. The challenges of communication between different nations were also highlighted when some official souvenirs which had been made in China had to be scrapped because the slogan marked the Platinum Jubbly – shades of Del Boy! 

During the pandemic, coronavirus spread very quickly amongst passengers on cruise ships, which had to be quarantined in port and caused great concern for those aboard and their families. This is just one of the issues also faced by crews on container ships, who often have to work in difficult and hazardous conditions to bring goods that are often taken for granted. During the last year and its financial challenges for so many, more crews have been abandoned by their employers than ever before and some are still being denied the right to leave their ships for even a short break away from the relentless noise and pressure onboard. When they are also separated for long periods from their families, stress and poorer mental health is being reported more frequently and the chaplains at the various ports are needed more than ever. 

The theme of Sea Sunday this year is ‘Calming the storm at home, in port and at sea’ and focuses on the story in St Matthew’s Gospel of Jesus calming the storm when the disciples were terrified. Storms can be global, whether warfare in Ukraine, immense tsunamis or the Covid pandemic and they can also be personal as individuals face unemployment, sickness or bereavement. Sometimes, they can develop with very little warning. 

Many people are currently facing unsettled circumstances with the cost of living crisis, the ongoing warfare in Ukraine, food insecurity and petrol costs making changes to daily life as they make fewer journeys, put on layers of clothing rather than the heating and cut back on food and supplies. However, fewer journeys may bring benefits for environmental pollution and the cutback economy may yet enable some to stay afloat with heating not being needed during the summer weather. But, as the storm clouds gather and turbulent times lie ahead, others are already facing very challenging conditions. 

Choppy waters lie ahead, not least after the storms of this last week in Parliament, and good neighbours are also needed more than ever to calm things down and help find safe passage through whatever lies ahead. This is not a storm in a tea cup but a challenge to the way of life we so often take for granted. The pandemic enabled so many to pull together and it can be done again – can’t it?

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Guardian.

Reflection on Doubting Thomas

”Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Jesus in John 20:24-29, NRSV.

“Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.” Khalil Gilbran.

“The wounded God whose wounds are healing mine.” Malcolm Guite, in his poem St Thomas the Apostle.


“I will not believe,” says Thomas in today’s Gospel and, although he’s still often called doubting Thomas, he’s not just doubting that the other apostles have seen Jesus but is actually refusing what they claim. This is despite the fact that reliable witnesses – many of them people he knows – have been saying that Jesus is alive, that his tomb is empty and that his grave clothes have been found neatly folded and not needed. It isn’t Jesus’s death that Thomas is struggling with but his resurrection – after so terrible a death, how can he be alive?

However, Thomas may have had good reason for his doubts: Jesus had appeared to the disciples locked in the upper room a week earlier but it seems that this had little effect on them as they’re still behind locked doors when Jesus reappears to them. Their encounter with him seems to have changed their behaviour very little and perhaps they need time to come to terms with what’s happening. They still seem to be scared and hiding away for fear of the consequences and, after all that’s happened, that’s understandable.

Thomas is mentioned earlier in the Gospel when he questions Jesus about where he’s going and clearly doesn’t comprehend what Jesus means when he tells them he‘s going ahead of them. “How can we know the way?” he asks, drawing forth the words from Jesus that are used at so many funerals, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life.” (John 14:5,6) Clearly, Thomas has always questioned events, despite being with Jesus for three years and watching his ministry, healing and miracles unfold. 

Now, although others had been convinced by the sight or testimony of his resurrection, Thomas insists that he must not only see but touch the wounds of Jesus to accept that he’s alive. It’s a tall order as Jesus told Mary Magdalene not to touch him that first Easter Day – and yet Jesus honours what Thomas asks of him by inviting him to see and touch the marks of the nails and spear. He is identified by the scars of what he has been through, a wounded saviour who has experienced the terrible depths of human suffering and yet still responds with love and compassion. Rather than chiding Thomas, Jesus enables him to respond with the cry, “My Lord and my God!” Because of the honesty of his doubts and wanting to discover for himself rather than be told by others what to think, Thomas makes the enormous leap of then realising that this is his Lord and God before him. He does this before the other apostles and it’s because he refuses to pretend to believe but rather waits to to see, touch and believe for himself.

Perhaps, at times, we feel pressure to accept or do things because other people want us to or sometimes we may struggle to accept their word. Thomas was actually being told the truth in what the other apostles said – is it possible that there is some truth in what others may be telling us, that we may be denying? Waiting for understanding or belief to grow can be lonely and challenging but being honest about doubts also enables us to be inspired by Thomas’ example as he went on to take the Gospel to India, where his name is still common. Thomas, like Didymus, actually means twin – and perhaps we are twinned with him in the doubts he has the courage to express and which lead to so huge a leap of faith.

Jesus also seemed to know what Thomas needed and responded to it. The same can be true for us as we begin to see, through the scriptures and prayer, how our needs and doubts can also be met by him. Jesus tells Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” – coming to believe may imply a transition, a gradual realisation or awakening which is part of many faith journeys. Jesus’ words can bring blessing to us down the ages, too, if we have the faith to accept them – or do you doubt that?!

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Guardian.

Reflection for the Second Sunday after Trinity

“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Jesus, in Luke 9:51-end.

”Home is where my habits have a habitat.” Fiona Apple.

Today’s Gospel shows how little the disciples have understood the ministry of Jesus, although it’s set not long after his transfiguration. Jesus and his followers are passing through a Samaritan village and some of the disciples have gone ahead to make preparations for his arrival. However, Luke tells us that Jesus had set his face towards Jerusalem and that the villagers did not receive him. Was this because, as traditional enemies of the Jews, he had decided to focus on Jerusalem to avoid conflict with the Samaritans or was it because the villagers didn’t want him to stop? Whatever the situation, it clearly offends James and John who suggest to Jesus that they should call down fire from heaven to consume the villagers – until Jesus rebukes them and they all go to elsewhere for hospitality.

The disciples offer violence as a solution and have not yet accepted the wider vision of Jesus, who later says that he has nowhere to lay his head although even foxes have holes and birds their nests. His own ministry was spent away from his home, travelling to meet, challenge and heal those who would encounter him. Jesus tells one potential follower that he should not even delay to bury his father, so great is the call – and yet burial of their dead was one of the greatest priorities for a practising Jew. In making the point that following God’s call means setting out unconditionally, Jesus is emphasising how much is being asked of those who may follow him – and they need to be committed, rather than finding reasons to delay.

As part of this, Jesus mentions setting out to plough and says that no-one who looks back is fit for God’s kingdom. Part of the requirement when ploughing is for a straight furrow to facilitate seed planting and harvesting – if the crop lines were crooked, they were much harder to garner. Looking back to check a straight furrow is one of the quickest ways of guaranteeing that the next bit won’t be! 

Today, like those first disciples, there are many examples of those who want to look backwards rather than forwards, resort to violence when the situation is not as hoped or think up excuses for delay. Regardless, Jesus has set his face to Jerusalem but still urges us as well as his followers then to consider God’s call in our lives. For some, that will involve radical change; for others, it’s being faithful where we are and with those around us. The challenge is to make room in our hearts as well as our lives for the One who said he has nowhere to lay his head or call home – as T R Matthews’ lovely hymn puts it, “Oh come to my heart, Lord Jesus, there is room in my heart for thee.”

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Guardian.

Reflection for the first Sunday after Trinity.



“People came out to see what had happened and….they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.” From Luke 8, 26-39. 

“When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.” Mark Twain.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus enters Gentile territory where he encounters a man possessed by demons. In the time of Jesus and in the Bible, this phrase often denoted what would be termed as mental illness today – and to face your demons is still used today to indicate facing up to mental health challenges. 

However, this account is a different matter. The man affected is naked and lives amongst the ‘unclean’ dead having been kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, although he had broken free and had been driven out into the wilds. Despite his maddened state, the man nevertheless recognises the authority of Jesus and calls him the Son of the Most High God. When Jesus asks his name, he says it’s Legion, a body of four or five thousand professional Roman soldiers and trained killers – this indicates how great is the turmoil within him. As the demons beg to be allowed to enter a herd of swine on the hillside, it may seem surprising that Jesus allowed this but pigs were also considered to be unclean and, as they rush down the bank and drown in the lake, the demons also die and the man is restored to his right mind.

What’s interesting about this is that the supposedly ‘sane’ people present don’t rejoice at the man’s healing but are afraid at what has happened. They ask Jesus to leave, which he does, but although the healed man asks to go with him, Jesus sends him away and tells him to proclaim what God has done for him. The man does this – but why are people so afraid?

Although the swineherds would, understandably, be horrified at the loss of their animals in this way, perhaps the ‘mad’ man was desperate for change which their comfortable lives resist. These ‘sane’ people are not free as he now is – and from their reaction, they choose not to be. Jesus is to be kept away and at a safe distance where their lives will not be affected and there will be no challenge to them. 

Today, mental health issues are a growing concern with more people experiencing difficulties after the isolation and uncertainty of Covid. When I was a prison chaplain, I often met prisoners who should have been in a secure psychiatric unit rather than prison but were unable to receive the help they needed due to a lack of facilities and accessible treatment. It may be thought that a more civilised society today would not treat the mentally ill in the way this nameless man was treated but those living with mental illness – sometimes under bridges, on the streets or in hidden away places – may not agree. And who is the judge? As a person from Yorkshire allegedly said to a friend, “The world’s gone mad except for thee and me. And I ain’t so sure about thee!”

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Guardian.

Reflection for Trinity Sunday

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own…. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” Jesus, in today’s gospel John 16:12-15, NRSV.

“The Trinity is a mystery… It is not a mystery veiled in darkness…. but a mystery in which we are taken by the hand and gradually led into the light.” Eugene Peterson.

Today is Trinity Sunday, when the mystery of God, three in one and one in three, reveals the conundrum at the heart of the Christian faith. How can three be one and one three? No amount of shamrocks, triangles or tricycles will suffice as the reality of Jesus living amongst humanity as the Son of God, revealing the Father and sending the Spirit shows us the communion of love who is not remote but amongst us. How that can be so is a mystery – and yet it is!

As a child, a music teacher used to come to the house to teach us the piano and this included aural tests. One of these involved tonic triads – the first, third and fifth notes of a scale – and Roger, my elder brother, was having his lesson with Margaret when hoots of laughter were heard. Coming to the closed door, I could hear gurgling noises as, having played the triad but expecting him to sing the notes separately, Margaret couldn’t contain her amusement when Roger tried the impossibility of singing all three notes at once and repeatedly tried to do so as he thought he should be able to!

St Ignatius of Loyola had a vision of the Trinity as three keys on a musical instrument, each note being distinctive but harmonising when played with the others to create a diversified yet unified sound. That lead to a devotion to the Trinity which remained with him throughout his life and which he encouraged others to explore.

The poet Malcolm Guite echoes this musical concept in his sonnet and, this Trinity Sunday, may his words inspire that same response today:

“He calls us out of darkness, chaos, chance,

To improvise a music of our own,

To sing the chord that calls us to the dance,

Three notes resounding from a single tone,

To sing the End in whom we all begin;

Our God beyond, beside us and within.” 

From Trinity Sunday, by Malcolm Guite (c)

With my prayers, pob bendith,

Christine, Guardian.